"On a Night Like This" is a song by Kylie Minogue, taken from her seventh studio album Light Years (2000). It was released on 11 September 2000 as the second single from the album. The album version is slightly shorter than the music video version. The song was written by Steve Torch, Graham Stack, Mark Taylor and Brian Rawling and produced by Stack and Taylor. Musically, "On a Night Like This" is a dance-pop song, with elements of nu-disco and pop while the lyrics are about a girl who wants to share her night with a boy on a specific night together.
The song received positive reviews from music critics, who felt it was a highlight from the album and potentially single-worthy. The accompanying music video was a concept based on the 1995 crime film Casino. The song charted at one and two on the Australian Singles Chart and UK Singles Chart and fared moderately worldwide.
The song was later re-recorded in 2011 at the Abbey Road Studios for inclusion on Kylie's orchestral album The Abbey Road Sessions.
Background[]
In 1998, Kylie's contract with Deconstruction had ended, due in part to the relatively unsuccessful commercial turnout of the album Impossible Princess. The last single from that album "Cowboy Style" was released only in Australia by Mushroom Records to coincide with the Intimate and Live Tour. By 1999, Kylie had signed herself to the label Parlophone. She began recording songs for her seventh album Light Years, most notably the lead single "Spinning Around", which became a number one hit and was considered her 'comeback' single.
On 24 February 2012, Kylie premiered a video of her performing the song on her YouTube channel. It was then revealed that Kylie would be recording a compilation album for her K25 anniversary, which is an anniversary of her music career for spanning twenty-five years. The album, along with the song was recorded in London, England at Abbey Road Studios in November 2011. On 24 October, she released The Abbey Road Sessions which included the reworked version of "On a Night Like This". Produced by Steve Anderson and Colin Elliot, the song was re-released as a single on 17 December 2012.
Recording and composition[]
Originally, the recording was first recorded by Swedish recording artist and radio hot Pandora. The song was featured on her studio album No Regrets and was released in 1999. However, after Kylie's version was released, the song was commercially released in Sweden as a single. Then in 2000, Greek singer Anna Vissi covered the song and was featured on her studio album, Everything I Am but was not served as a single. She performed the song live. Then in mid 2000, the song was introduced to Kylie and she hoped to record it. The original recorded version was written by Steve Torch, Graham Stack, Mark Taylor and Brian Rawling, and was produced by Mark Taylor from Metro and Graham Stack. It was released on 11 September 2000 as the second single by Parlophone.
Musically, "On a Night Like This" is composed as a dance-pop song. According to the published music sheet at Musicnotes.com, the song is set in the key C minor. The song is moderately paced with 130 beats per minute. According to musicnotes.com, the song's musical styles include adult contemporary, dance music, eurodance, Europop and pop rock. Pandora Radio describes the song as featuring house and nu-disco influences, dancable grooves, acoustic guitar riffs, a prominent use of synthesizers and other vocal harmonies.
For the re-released version, the song is composed as an orchestral song. According to Kitty Empire from The Guardian, the song "transforms the teenage-crush fervour of the original into a cool, big-band seduction." Scott Kara from New Zealand Herald called it a sweeping and grand serenade song. Annie Zaleski from The A.V. Club described the version as "romantic" while stating it turns into a brassy R&B torch song thanks to a soaring gospel choir and dramatic strings.
Reception[]
Critical response[]
"On a Night Like This" received favorable reviews from music critics. Mark Edwards from Stylus Magazine said that it, along with her duet with Robbie Williams on "Kids", "cemented her comeback, and then came the aforementioned mega-song." Jason Shawahn from About.com gave it a positive review, saying that it, along with "Please Stay " and "Spinning Around", are "a blessing for domestic music consumers". Scott Kara from New Zealand Herald described the original "a swirling, late night club pop tune." Matt James from Popmatters described the song as "bedroom-eyed" and "nightclubber", while stating it's still hot enough to melt large glaciers.
The version from The Abbey Road Sessions was positive as well. Robert Corpsey from Digital Spy highlighted the song as an album standout, enjoying that the lyric content stood out. Philip Matusavage from MusicOMH found it a "confident" highlight and "transforming the fairly-anonymous Europop of the original into a swaggering big band number which no contestant on [The X Factor] could pull off.
Although Allmusic highlighted it as an album track, it gave it a mixed review, giving it two-and-a-half stars out of five. Nick Levine from Digital Spy said that the song is a "catchy dance-pop song". One NME reviewer compared it to Spiller's song "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)", writing that the song "works because it doesn't revolve awkwardly round a random disco beat". Another NME reviewer described the song as lacking passion and "unremarkable". PopMatters gave the album a positive review, but he was disappointed by the record label, and the public, for not releasing the single in the United States, commenting "“On a Night Like This”, a track that is meant to go right to number one on the Billboard Club Tracks list and while being completely ignored by the general public."
Chart performance[]
In Australia the single debuted at number one, and spent two non-consecutive weeks there. It spent a total of seventeen weeks in the top fifty, becoming one of Kylie's longest charting singles. As with her previous number one single "Spinning Around", "On a Night Like This" was also certified platinum and became the twenty-seventh most successful single of the year 2000 in Australia. The song led to Kylie being honoured as the artist having the most singles debuting at number one. It also gave her a record for having the largest fall from the number one position—falling to number five. It was also successful in the United Kingdom where it peaked at number two, behindModjo's "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)".
It had modest success elsewhere. In New Zealand, the song debuted at number forty, until rising to thirty-five where it peaked. The song then debuted at number thirty-three in Sweden, until it rose to thirty-one, staying there for two consecutive weeks. The song was less successful in other countries. The song survived only one week in Finland, debuting at number twenty. The song also only peaked at number sixty-nine in France and sixty-four in the Netherlands. It sold 170,000 in the UK.
Music video[]
The music video for "On a Night Like This" was directed by Douglas Avery, filmed in Monte Carlo, and was loosely based on Martin Scorsese's 1995 crime drama movie Casino, with Kylie herself portraying a character loosely based on Sharon Stone's bored trophy wife, and Blade Runner actor Rutger Hauer portraying her mob boss partner.
The video starts with a mob-related scene, with the men speaking in French. The video translates with subtitles "Matters are not handled in this way/Here in Monte Carlo/Things are closely watched/The authorities are extremely vigilant/The things you ask of us/Are not so easy". As the song starts, Kylie is on a diving board over a pool; she jumps in with while wearing an expensive Versace. After she sings the chorus, she undresses into her underwear, and looking at the mobsters, throws her dress across towards their window. As the second verse starts, she appears in another Versace costume, with expensive diamond jewellery, in a Limousine.
As the chorus arrives, she appears in a Monte Carlo casino, and wins money. She later goes home, where her mob boss lover sees her, as she comes into the hallway and smashes a green glass vase. As the song ends she steps onto a porch, undresses again, and he can only stare. The video ends with her stepping down from the porch, and fades to black.
Controversy[]
While the video had moderate success in most of the world, it managed to attract considerable controversy. According to reports by NME, the original clip contained scenes that would have resulted in a mass banning. The Directors Cut had been noted to contain Kylie in full-frontal nudity; however, NME reported that plans to release such a music video were scrapped. Despite this, the edited version still turns heads, thanks to a see-through dress sported by Kylie.
Other versions[]
The song was first released by the Swedish artist Pandora in late 1999. It was included on her album No Regrets. Pandora claims that the song was written during her recording sessions in the studio. Months after her release, she began to receive fan mail inquiring about other versions. Under different contracts with the writers, the song was given to two other singers, Anna Vissi and Kylie. In December 2007, Pandora released three new remixes of the song.
The song was released by Greek singer Anna Vissi in early 2000. It was included on her debut English album Everything I Am, which featured additional songs by Stack and Taylor. Vissi performed "On a Night Like This" at the Miss Universe 2000 pageant held in Nicosia, Cyprus on 12 May 2000, watched by a worldwide audience.
In other media[]
- Kylie had advertised the video and single in a Pepsi advert in 2001.
Formats and track listings[]
These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "On a Night Like This."
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Australia CD 1
UK CD 1/NZ CD Maxi
Europe CD 1/Australia CD 2 (MUSH019725)
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UK CD 2
Europe CD 3
Europe 2012 (Abbey Road Version) CD Single
Soundcloud
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Live Performances[]
| Dates | Show | Channel | Country |
|---|
| 2000 | |||
| 17 September | CD:UK | ITV | England |
| 12 September | The Priory Show | - | |
| 22 September | Top of the Pops | BBC | |
| 1 October | 2000 Olympic Games Closing Ceremony | - | Australia |
| 21 October | Pepsi Pop | Channel 5 | Netherlands |
| 28 October | TMF Awards | TMF | Belgium |
| 2001 | |||
| 1 December | An Audience With... Kylie Minogue | ITV | England |
| 2012 | |||
| 8 September | BBC Proms in the Park | BBC | England |
| 19 November | Royal Variety Performance | ITV | |
| 1 December | Benissimo | - | Zuirch |
| 11 December | Nobel Peace Prize Concert | NRK | Norway |
| 2018 | |||
| 9 September | Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park | BBC | England |
| 2019 | |||
| 25 December | Kylie's Secret Night | Channel 4 | England |
| 2023 | |||
| 17 September | Radio 2 in the Park | BBC | England |
| Date | Location | Country |
|---|
| 2003 | |||
| 15 November | Money Can't Buy | London | |
| 2014 | |||
| 27 September | iTunes Festival | London | |
| Dates | Location | City | Country |
|---|
| 2000 | |||
| 20 August | V Festival 2001 | Plymouth | England |
| 5 September | Les Bains Douches | Paris | France |
| 7 September | Arsenale di Venezia | Venice | Italy |
| 2001 | |||
| 18 August | V Festival 2001 | Chelmsford | England |
| 2004 | |||
| 28 February | G-A-Y | London | England |
| 2010 | |||
| 21 October | The Pyramids | Giza | Egypt |
| 2012 | |||
| 2 November | du Arena | Abu Dhabi | United Arab Emirates |
| 2013 | |||
| 26 September | Grand Hyatt Hotel | Wan Chai | China |
| 2014 | |||
| 22 August | Ushuaia Ibiza | Sant Josep de sa Talaia | Spain |
| 2016 | |||
| 13 August | Hotel Cala di Volpe | Porto Cervo | Italy |
| 16 September | The Padang | Singapore | |
| 2017 | |||
| 3 February | Glock Horse Performance Centre | Treffen | Austria |
| 2018 | |||
| 24 June | Pier 97, Hudson River Park | New York, NY | United States |
| 2022 | |||
| 31 December | Atlantis | The Palm Jumeriah | United Arab Emirates |
| 2023 | |||
| 31 March | Hangar 96 ― Sydney Airport | Sydney | Australia |
| 27 September | Shepherd's Bush Empire | London | England |
| 2024 | |||
| 6 April | Thermomix Vian | Stockholm | Sweden |
| 13 July | BST Hyde Park | London | England |
| 7 August | Sziget Festival | Budapest | Hungary |
| 18 August | Electric Picnic | Stradbally | Ireland |
| 21 September | Singapore Grand Prix | Singapore | |
| 22 September | |||
| Tour | Dates | Performances |
|---|
| On a Night Like This Tour | 2 March―15 May, 2001 (All dates) | 46 |
| KylieFever2002 | 26 April―16 August, 2002 (All dates) | 49 |
| Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour | 19 March―7 May, 2005 (All dates) | 38 |
| Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour | 11 November, 2006―23 January, 2007 (All dates) | 34 |
| KylieX2008 | 6 May, 2008―6 August, 2009 (All dates) | 80 |
| Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour | 19 February―14 July, 2011 (All dates) | 77 |
| Kiss Me Once Tour | 24 September, 2014―28 March, 2015 (All dates) | 35 |
| Kylie Summer 2015 | 12 June―18 July, 2015 (All dates) | 6 |
| A Kylie Christmas | 11 December, 2015 | 1 |
| Golden Tour | 18 September, 2018―17 March, 2019 (All dates) | 33 |
| Kylie Summer 2019 | 20 June, 2019―7 March, 2020 (All dates) | 17 |
| More Than Just a Residency | 27 January, 2024 | 1 |
| Tension Tour | 15 February—26 August, 2025 (All dates) | 66 |
| Total: | 493 |
Notes[]
Kylie first performed the song at the Closing Ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The following year, she performed it during her set of An Audience With... Kylie Minogue. Once reworked for The Abbey Road Sessions, the version was performed in 2012 at BBC Proms in the Park, The Royal Variety Show and Nobel Peace Prize Concert. In 2014, it was remixed into a disco version and was performed at various mini-gigs in order to promote Kylie's 12th studio album Kiss Me Once.
Since it's release, "On a Night Like This" has been performed on most of Kylie's concert tours. It made tour debut in 2001 during the On a Night Like This Tour, where it opened the Revue section. The song was then part of the KylieFever2002 tour, launched to promote Fever, where it opened the fifth section Sex in Venice, and preceded performances of "The Loco-Motion" and "In Your Eyes". It was then featured in Kylie's one-off initiation only "Money Can't Buy" in 2003, where it closed the first section Paris By Night. It then served as the final song of the first act in Kylie's Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour in 2005, but due to Kylie being diagnosed with breast cancer, she was forced to cancel the tour. In 2006, she resumed the tour in the form of Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour where "On a Night Like This" served as the fourth song of the show.
In 2008, Kylie performed a remix on her KylieX2008 tour, in the Black Versus White act. This version was then set to appear in her For You, For Me Tour in 2009, but it was not performed at any shows despite being listed in the program. In 2011, Kylie performed a new remix as the penultimate song in her Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour, opening the encore and preceding a performance of "All the Lovers". The song's performance on the Kiss Me Once Tour debuted a disco version, and performed during the second section, preceding a performance of "Slow". This version was also used in the Kylie Summer 2015 mini-tour and the 2015 show of the Christmas concert series.
The disco version was performed at various shows throughout 2018, including Kylie's headline at Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park. "On a Night Like This" was also performed as part of the Studio54 medley for the Golden Tour, which also featured unreleased song "New York City" and "Raining Glitter", and was accompanied by a laser show. In 2019, Kylie performed the song on her Kylie Summer 2019 shows and eventually many of her gigs throughout 2022 until 2024. In 2024, A new remix of the song debuted at Kylie’s British Summer Time performance at Hyde Park preceded by a teaser of Kylie’s upcoming song "Good as Gone" as an introduction. This remix was included in the second section of the Tension Tour, using excerpts of "Taboo" in its intro.
Track listings[]
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Charts[]
Certifications and sales[]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) | Platinum | 70,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Silver | 170,000‡ |
| ^shipments figures based on certification alone | ||
Lyrics[]
(You kiss me, you touch me)
Don't say it's like a fantasy
When you know this is how it should be
You kiss me, I'm falling
Can you hear me calling?
You touch me, I want you
Feels like I've always known you
On a night like this
I wanna stay forever, stay forever
On a night like this
Just wanna be together
On a night like this
Now I'm getting closer to you
Hold me, I just can't be without you
You kiss me, I'm falling
It's your name I'm calling
You touch me, I want you
Feels like I've always known you
On a night like this
I wanna stay forever, stay forever
On a night like this
Just wanna be together
On a night like this
Seems I've known you a lifetime (Lifetime)
Now it's time to make you mine
On a night like this
On a night like this, oh
(You kiss me, I'm falling, you touch me)
On a night like this, just wanna be together
On a night like this
I wanna stay forever, stay forever
On a night like this
Just wanna be together (Oh)
On a night like this
(You kiss me, I'm falling, you touch me)
On a night like this
(You kiss me, I'm falling, you touch me)
On a night like this
(You kiss me, I'm falling, you touch me)
On a night like this
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